The Black Gates
by Evanescence2189
Summary: Dras-Leona—a bleak city of carnage and ruin, and the home of an even more sacrilegious people. A pity it is that such a treasure fell right into the center of it, where curious hands could reach. Murtagh/OC


**Summary: Dras-Leona—a bleak city of carnage and ruin, and the home of an even more sacrilegious people. A pity it is that such a treasure fell right into the center of it, where curious hands could reach. Murtagh/OC**

**Yes, you've all read right. I'm writing a story for Inheritance Cycle that's listed in my own profile. ;) **

**It's my endeavor at a MOC fic that isn't a Mary-Sue. There might be some cringe-worthy times, but that's why Witchy Pixie is beta-ing my little project, as well as being my "consultant" of sorts. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inheritance Cycle, or any of its characters.**

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><p><em>~The Black Gates~<em>

Chapter One – An Attempt

A cold silence was settled over the palace of Uru'baen. None walked the corridors, save for the guards that held to their posts. Watching the ground through the small window, however, Murtagh could sense the steely tension in the air. All was still. Even the heavy clouds, darkening the sky more than the pitch that colored the night, held off their downpour.

"_Something is awry._" Murtagh acknowledged the voice of his dragon with a mental nod.

"_I know, I can feel it._ _An unknown presence, perhaps?_"

"_Yes,_" answered Thorn. '_But who would dare try to break into the castle?_' thought Murtagh. He put on his cloak, hooded himself, and walked out of the small room. He moved noiselessly through the halls, even as the feeling of uneasiness grew with every step. Soon, his brusque walk broke into a run as the sound of men's dying screams echoed of the walls. Turning the corner, he unsheathed Zar'roc and broke into a run.

"_Shit_," he cursed under his breath.

"They've taken it! Get them you fools!" a soldier shouted to his subordinates. Several soldiers joined Murtagh in his race to catch the intruders, who had managed to get past the wards of the heavily concealed door.

'_And the treasure it held_,' Murtagh thought grimly. They were at the thieves' heels, and almost upon them. He heard the alarms sound, which meant more help would be arriving in less than a minute. Excellent.

'_We have you,_' he thought. But he was stopped in his tracks, along with his accompanying guards, as they all ran into something solid.

"What the hell?" a guard shouted in exclamation. It appeared to be part of the wall, though Murtagh knew better. Muttering a few words in the ancient language, the construction disappeared, and he felt a small portion of his energy lapse.

"_So, they have a sorcerer,_" said Thorn.

"_Apparently,_" Murtagh replied in annoyance. They ran on, and he was surprised that the intruders had made it past the many sentries, and out of the palace. But it was through a side entrance, mostly used by the servants. Now it was cleared out, except for the few slaves quivering in the deepest corners away from the soldiers that trampled past.

"_Thorn, come around the back end._"

"Fools! Follow them!" Murtagh ordered as he got onto Thorn. They took to the skies, and it was then that Murtagh could see where the intruders were trying to make a desperate escape with their stolen burden. It was a large group that had dwindled to a mere few. Twenty or thirty men at most, the rider decided.

"_Where are they going?_" questioned Thorn, more for his own scrutiny that asking Murtagh.

"_It seems they hope to dissolve into the city, or at least rile up enough confusion to slip past somewhere._" Although Murtagh knew it was a futile attempt, he would let them get as far as Dras'Leona, their desired destination. Excitement lately was so few and far between these days.

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><p>Decrepit buildings stacked all but upon each other lined the slender streets. Dirt as its only pavement, these streets meandered about, tapering into narrower alleyways. A breeze wafted through the town, carrying with it the ever-present, pungent smell of putrefaction. For its inhabitants, it was a normalcy—just as the resound of thinly veiled screams cut short, were as well.<p>

One did well not to simply wander aimlessly through the city of Dras'Leona.

The totem gongs rung, a bass acoustic reverberating off the walls of the temple. It dissipated with the quickly clearing crowd that scrambled for the open entryways. Mera slipped between gaps in the throng, and scurried to the exit.

'_This is impossible, _I_ was next. How could they let that _whore_ be the sacrifice?_' she thought venomously. '_They all knew I was to be the next chosen, and _she_ took my place_.' The young woman had stood next to Mera during the ritual. And all through the partaking of blood, and the priests' "cleansing," Mera fidgeted excitedly. She had been previously selected to be the day's offering to Helgrind at the beginning of the ceremony. It was a great honor to her, and to her family, for she would sooner be reunited with the gods.

But Sarai—_that_ woman she had not anticipated. She was an outsider, a mere few years older than Mera, who had settled on the outskirts of Dras'Leona. How a woman had lasted so many years by herself in such a city was beyond Mera, but she supposed the witch had nothing more to worry of safety. By morning, her bones would be sucked dry and left for the scavengers.

'_She does not deserve the honor of being sacrificed to the gods_,' she thought. But something read in her eyes had made Mera pause, and think. There was no hatred for her, nor any triumph in her gaze. There was only resignation as she had been led out of the clay hut that made up the temple.

A roll of thunder rumbled through the skies. And it alerted all of the slowly arising storm.

Mera shook her head, as if to clear the troubling thought. She leaned against the wall, tightly pressing her back against cold stone. She glanced out of the corner of her eyes, and was careful to never hold someone's gaze. Crouching slightly, she sprinted around the corner through the back alleyways. Mera ran until her breath had almost left her, and then ducked into the security of the shadows once more to rest. Then, she pulled the thin shall she wore closer to her figure.

'_Only a mile left_,' she thought. '_Not too much_.' She looked up as the first drop of moisture hit her bare hand.

'_I will have to hurry. Mother and Father are expecting me_.'

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><p>It was becoming harder to hold onto the thick case. Made up of oak wood and solid ivory, the burden grew heavier with every step. He wiped his brow of perspiration before returning both hands to help his partner. They ran into a shrouded alley, and settled the trunk down first before slumping beside it.<p>

"Iasoth…I don't think we're going to make it if we keep holding onto this enormous thing," he said.

"Here," said Iasoth. He removed the long-knife from its pouch and cut through the now brittle locks and chains. "That magician was good for something, it seems." Together, they pulled the lid off. Eyes widened in awe as the treasure's jade aura danced reflections off the uneven walls.

"We have to hide it, Arodin. Put it in your pack," Iasoth whispered, covering it with his cloak. Arodin opened his mouth to answer, but paused as he heard the shouts of the king's soldiers. They were quickly nearing.

"No, slip it in yours. I'll be right back." He stood, and unsheathed his sword.

"What the hell are you doing?" Iasoth asked, slightly panicked. Arodin looked back at the other man, and grinned.

"Go east, Iasoth." With that, he ran out of the side-street. Iasoth only hesitated for a moment, before sprinting in the opposite direction. '_I'm sorry, my friend_.'

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><p>Murtagh restrained the long thread of curses from escaping his mouth, if only in his thoughts. His master would have his head on a platter for this.<p>

'_If I don't have theirs first_.' An appealing thought. If only he could _find_ the accursed thief. They had thought that this one they had captured and killed had been the last, but no. He didn't have what was stolen.

"_I see him,_" said Thorn. Murtagh wasted no time in changing directions according to what his dragon sensed. '_There you are,_' he thought. A slow smirk twitched at his mouth.

"Follow," he ordered the rest sharply. The soldiers turned obediently at the command, while the guards who had joined the hunt scrambled over themselves to switch directions. They were idiots, but Murtagh supposed it couldn't be helped at the moment. He sighed in annoyance.

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><p>By now, the sky had let out its downpour, and Mera was fully drenched. She slipped on the wet dirt and barely managed to keep her balance. Already she had fallen numerous times, earning mud-caked front.<p>

'_Lovely_,' she thought wryly. But she couldn't stop now. Home was just around this incline in the road. Mera ran on, but was stopped abruptly as she collided with a shrouded figure. They both tumbled down the slide of the slope, slipping and sliding down further at every attempt to rise from the ground. Finally reaching the bottom, Mera moaned in pain as she tried to sit up. She blinked as the other, a man, from what she could tell, seemed to have been knocked out of consciousness sometime in the fall.

'_What…is that?_' she thought. A few feet away, the stranger's pack lay open. Mera crawled closer, and at once noticed a large, oval-shaped stone. Marveling at the deep jade hue it held, she reached out her hand to touch it. It entranced her, she reflected.

'_But…_' The touch was electrifying. Its mere force sent her reeling back onto her rear. And the feeling sent an immediate shock through her system like nothing she had ever experienced. She laughed airily, something raw and coarse to her ears and throat, unfamiliar. Now, she picked it up with both hands, bringing it closer to her face to examine it. What _was_ this thing?


End file.
